The Age Of Innocence Quote Analysis

We are told the familiar story of how elite rule decayed and a liberal society arose as a society that was individualistic, egalitarian, entrepreneurial, and voluntary, However, Appleby makes everything seem fresh and anew in these pages, as the combination of out-of-the-way stories unearthed from the autobiographies as well as Appleby's own insight puts the familiar story in a vastly different light. I was especially intrigued by an argument she made about the new careers that became available in post revolutionary America. The unprecedented reality to rise in the world brought a new kind of generalized identity in to the world. Whether they made their way in publishing, preaching, the military, art, commerce, or among any number of many different paths, their stories all took a common form: They all wrote about the anticipation of opportunity that was awakened in a society overflowing with new opportunities. people rose to these expectations early in life, often bypassing youth altogether, although they did tend to receive help from a fellow patron. More often than not, these people felt that in the end they had done it themselves, looking up at others rising in the world around them. It is because of this that they had become to think of themselves as a type, that they were the sort of person whom succeeded through hard fought personal effort, as Appleby herself states "A kind of freemasonry of the aspiring took shape," (p.127). And it was this type, that defined America starting with this

Upon reading the first few sentences of the paragraph, one can easily assume E. B. White has inhabited New York once before. His capability in drawing three New Yorks established his familiarity with the city and its various versions. This is implied when he states, “There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts for its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter--the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something” (White). Coming from the perspective of the author, it adds an authentic value to his words and description of the types of people who live in New York. The individuals who exist in each of the version contribute to New York’s remarkable essence

Every parent want to protect their children from all bad things because they do not want their children to grow up. This is the protection of innocence. The Catcher in the Rye, cover this theme and the author of the novel is J.D. Salinger. The character in the novel who has demonstrated protection of innocence is Holden because he got mad when someone wrote “fuck you” on the wall, imagining himself protecting children from falling off the cliff and worried about what Stradlater was going to do with his old friend Jane. Holden demonstrated protection of innocence by getting mad when someone write “fuck you” on the wall.

“From a scene of constraint and confinement, ill-suited to my years and inclination, I have just launched into society. My heart beats high in expectation of its fancied joys. My sanguine imagination paints, in alluring colors, the charms of youth and freedom, regulated by virtue and innocence. Of these, I wish to partake. While I own myself under obligations for the esteem which you are pleased to profess for me, and in return, acknowledge, that neither your person nor manners are disagreeable to me, I recoil at the thought of immediately forming a connection, which must confine me to the duties of domestic life, and make me dependent for happiness, perhaps too, for subsistence, upon a class of people, who will claim the right of scrutinizing every part of my conduct; and by censuring those foibles, which I am conscious of not having prudence to avoid, may render me completely miserable” (Foster, 29).

Recently, I have learned that urban settings creates an opportunity for intimacy with one another; however, in “Bartleby, the Scrivener” written by Herman Melville, that was not the case. He describes the nature of the world of work and business through concrete description of the scenery. The story is set on Wall Street in New York City which had become the core of American business life during the 1850s. The setting is a critical component of Bartleby, because it emphasize the author’s concern about the effects that an environment has on American society. Bartleby’s environment separated him from nature and the people around him. To illustrate Bartleby’s detachment from society, he worked in “a corner by the folding-doors” behind a screen and has a window that “commanded at present no view at all” (1489). A creation of emptiness in the business life was molded. The setting indicates a sense of isolation and failure to connect; however, it establishes the relation between the walling out of Bartleby from his boss, passive

The Age of Innocence, written by Edith Wharton in 1920, is a novel about Newland Archer, set in New York in the 1870s. In the beginning of the novel, Newland is engaged to May Welland, however when her cousin Ellen Olenska returns from Europe, he begins to doubt who he really loves. Due to societal norms, Newland stays with May and never consummates his relationship with Ellen, despite their growing feelings towards each other. At the time of writing The Age of Innocence, Wharton was reading Sir James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough (1914), a 14 volume work on anthropology, which consisted of myths, customs, and magical practices. This collection sparked interest for Wharton, potentially inspiring her to enlist many allusions to classical

     Ernest Hemmingway once described a novel by Mark Twain as, “…it is the ‘one book’ from which ‘all modern American literature’ came from” (Railton). This story of fiction, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a remarkable story about a young boy growing up in a society that influences and pressures people into doing the so-called “right thing.” It is not very difficult to witness the parallels between the society Huck has grown up in and the society that influences the choices of people living today. However, what is it that gives society the power to draw guidelines to define the norms, trends, and what is morally right and wrong in life? Is it always the best choice to listen

George could not turn his back on New York City because the city had never turned its back on him, even when he had absolutely nothing. The effects of being raised in this sometimes cruel, yet prosperous environment is evident in the life of George Andrews; he represents not only the harsh

Tim Winton's hometown, Albany has influenced his life and his writing. When he migrated to Albany, he was miserable and reluctant, ending up being fond of it. Winton’s experiences of the town have played a significant role later in his work because “The story that’s happening on the page takes [him] away”. This reinforces that it “gives him his greatest joy” because he is relieved from the conflict. Winton’s story, ‘Big World’ is a 1st person narration with a perspective of the Narrator.

Throughout life, in any society we develop a sense to conform and adjust to our surroundings but why? Our values in our society determines our norms and why we do the things we do. I recently sought out to break these social conformities that violated the values, and norms we hold as a society. Every society is different and, in every society there are different and similar values, norms, sanctions folkways, and mores. Breaking them up and analyzing them we began to understand why these terms and values are so important to us.

Likewise, they continued to suppress the individual as they developed using silence as a method of control to build up their “class-conscious conservatism” that unknowingly evaded the moral standards of the modern time (Burt). New York was incapable of opening its eyes and finding meaning in its world; the people “could only look blankly at blankness,” unable to find purpose behind the unpleasant (Wharton 28). Society spreads unpleasantry through gossip and rumor to alienate different and innovative individuals to ultimately stifle the revelation of a changing world. Society reflects one of its pitfalls when involving itself in the infliction its own unpleasant nature on the individual, defeating its own initial purpose of censoring the disagreeable. The systems within society avoid the harsh truths of their lack of integrity while being hypocritical of their own principle; they continue to defend a false sense of security that existed within the boundaries of conformity. To accentuate their disparity, Wharton generates a symbol of aversion and controversy that displays the invisible evils that New York has to offer.

Individuals go through many experiences in life, and through their experiences they learn about the world, and how to react to the way it treats them within a society. A society has many expectations that mold people 's attitudes and moods. Throughout life, people are constantly changing themselves to fit into the society and once people fulfill its requirement to meet its expectations they can fit into the world, because the world is built on society’s expectations. The society can make people distant from themselves, when they are busy, and are always being pressured to complete a certain task on time. The society can impact people 's decisions by alternating their ways of treating them. They can be strict, and force people to put their ego aside, while in other situations they want the the people to only think about themselves, and what they want, and how they should value themselves more often, Especially children, who at a young age are trying to find their place in society. In “An army of one” by Jean Twenge, many children are surrounded by coloring books, and other activities that support their self-esteem, hoping to build a concrete understanding of the importance of self. In “Project Classroom Makeover” by Cathy Davidson, students are surrounded by rules, and regulation, that always lead to standardization, and a way for students to forget about themselves, but Davidson wants to change that with technology and restore the students’ self-esteems. The ability for an

“It got to be easy to look at New Yorkers as animals, especially looking down from some place like a balcony at Grand Central at the rush hour Friday afternoon.” (Tom Wolfe). “O Rotten Gotham” argues that New Yorkers are in a state of behavioral sink. It would not be long before a “population collapse” or a “massive die off”.

Newland Archer desires to be a free soul in old New York, differing from those around him. May Welland’s actions and naivety help Newland realize he wants to break away from the norm of society. Ellen Olenska arrives in New York to stay with family during her divorce with a Polish Count. Ellen and Newland are formally introduced by May, beginning Ellen and Newland’s odious relationship. Ellen offers a fresh change to Newland’s monotonous lifestyle; she shows Newland the excitement of going against the moral code. After Ellen’s arrival, Newland briefly believes he wants to be with someone who is not like women from New York, and when given the chance to be with Ellen, Newland turns it down, showing he is truly an old-fashioned man at heart.

Ursula LeGuin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” are two thought provoking works that speculate the future of human societies. Both authors portray their stories in very different but also similar ways that can also connect to society today as a whole. We do experience similar pains in our society. However, we do not or may not pay attention to it. Societies’ rules exist to balance conflicting human interests and keep order. Nonetheless, it should not cradle ones potential to grow and become more productive members of society.